Controller (Finance & HR)

Simply Solar; Petaluma (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k)

PTO and holidays

Employee Assistance Program

Pet-friendly office

Job summary

Simply Solar, a Petaluma-based solar company, seeks a hands-on Controller to run finance and HR for a growing team. You will close the books, manage payroll, benefits, and audits, while leading a small accounting/administration team in a fast-paced environment.

You’ll own month-end close, payroll, insurance, and day-to-day admin, partnering with leadership to keep books clean, culture strong, and processes scalable as the company expands.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of accounting experience, including running a month-end close.
• Payroll, benefits, and workers' comp experience at a small or mid-sized company.
• Solid knowledge of GAAP.
• Strong QuickBooks Online and Excel skills.
• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance, or equivalent experience.
• Highly organized, with sharp attention to detail and great record keeping.
• Discretion with confidential employee and company information.
• Clear communicator who's approachable and easy to work with.
• Comfortable switching between finance, HR, and admin in the same day.
• Construction, contractor, or solar industry experience.
• CPA, or an HR certification such as SHRM-CP or PHR.
• Experience with Salesforce and Slack.
• Experience leading a small team.

Responsibilities

• Finance and accounting: Run the monthly close and deliver accurate financial statements on schedule.
• Reconcile bank, credit card, and loan accounts every month.
• Manage the general ledger, journal entries, and accruals.
• Own accounts receivable and collections.
• Oversee accounts payable and payment runs.
• Track job costing, fixed assets, and inventory.
• Manage cash flow and keep leadership up to date on where we stand.
• Keep subcontractors compliant: insurance certificates, W-9s, and payments.
• Support year-end, tax, and audit work with our outside advisors.
• HR and payroll: run weekly payroll and review timesheets and sales commissions.
• Admin and operations: manage company insurance renewals and audits.

Skills

GAAP knowledge

Clear communicator

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance

Tools

QuickBooks Online

Excel

Salesforce

Slack

Job description

Simply Solar designs, installs, and services solar for homeowners and businesses across Northern California. We've been doing it for over 13 years, and we're getting ready for our next stretch of growth. We're community-driven, education-focused, and quality-obsessed. Our team values thoughtful, empathetic, and driven people. We keep a merit-based, high-trust culture where good work gets noticed and people get real ownership.

When you join the Simply Solar team, you join an amazing culture of people who care deeply about the work they do. You join an organization committed to empowering people to make positive, measurable changes in their personal lives and our communities.

We also offer competitive pay with excellent benefits , company trips/events, PTO, 401K, and more. Plus, we’re pet-friendly!

Join our team, and do work that matters!

Simply Solar is hiring a hands-on Controller to run finance and HR for our 14 year old solar company. You'll close the books, run payroll, assist our team members, and keep the whole back office organized. If you like being the person everyone trusts to get it right, we want to meet you.

• Location: Petaluma, CA. Full time in the office, with occasional hybrid days.
• Reports to: Company leadership
• Team: You'll lead 1–3 people in accounting and administration

Role

You'll manage Simply Solar's accounting, people, and general administration. That means owning the monthly close, payroll, benefits, insurance, and the day-to-day admin that keeps the company running. You'll work directly with leadership to ensure clean books, strong culture, and help solve problems.

This is a hands-on role. You'll do the work yourself, lead a small team, and tighten up our systems as we grow. When someone on our crew has a question about their paycheck, their benefits, or an injury on the job, you're the person they'll reach out to

Responsibilities

Finance and accounting

• Run the monthly close and deliver accurate financial statements on schedule
• Reconcile bank, credit card, and loan accounts every month
• Manage the general ledger, journal entries, and accruals
• Own accounts receivable and collections
• Oversee accounts payable and payment runs
• Track job costing, fixed assets, and inventory
• Manage cash flow and keep leadership up to date on where we stand
• Keep subcontractors compliant: insurance certificates, W-9s, and payments
• Support year-end, tax, and audit work with our outside advisors

HR and payroll

• Run weekly payroll and review timesheets and sales commissions
• Administer medical, dental, vision, life, and 401(k) benefits, including open enrollment
• Manage workers' comp claims and the annual audit
• Handle onboarding, offboarding, and employee records
• Keep us compliant with California and federal employment rules
• Be the go-to person for staff questions on pay, benefits, and policies

Admin and operations

• Manage company insurance renewals and audits
• Keep contractor licenses, bonds, and registrations current
• Oversee office operations: vendors, phones, mail, and supplies
• Keep records organized, current, and audit-ready
• Improve our processes and tools, including QuickBooks Online and Salesforce

Team

• Set clear priorities with your team and ensure nothing falls through the cracks

What you bring

• 5+ years of accounting experience, including running a month-end close
• Hands-on experience with payroll, benefits, and workers' comp at a small or mid-sized company
• Solid knowledge of GAAP
• Strong QuickBooks Online and Excel skills
• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance, or equivalent experience
• Highly organized, with sharp attention to detail and great record keeping
• Discretion with confidential employee and company information
• Clear communicator who's approachable and easy to work with
• Comfortable switching between finance, HR, and admin in the same day
• Construction, contractor, or solar industry experience
• CPA, or an HR certification such as SHRM-CP or PHR
• Experience with Salesforce and Slack
• Experience leading a small team

What we offer

• $90,000–$125,000 per year, depending on experience
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, with multiple plan options
• $10,000 life insurance policy, 100% company-paid
• 401(k) plan
• PTO that grows with your tenure, plus 7 paid holidays
• Employee Assistance Program
• A direct line to company leadership and a real say in how we run the business

Simply Solar is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in line with the California Fair Chance Act.

The pay range for this role is:

90,000 - 125,000 USD per year (Petaluma Office)